DALLAS — Fragrances are hitting high notes at Southwest beauty counters.
Sales of men’s and women’s scents are up as much as 15 percent this year, said retailers, who predicted similar results through the fall and the fourth quarter.
The merchants claimed women buying gifts are still generating much of the men’s fragrance business.
But when men do purchase fragrances for themselves, retailers said, they’re also likely to buy a treatment product such as an eye cream, or a bath product like salts.
Larger size sprays, typically 3.4-oz. bottles, are the most popular purchases, and value and gift sets remain king at the counters. Such sets are expected to flex their muscles again during the coming holiday season as well, retailers noted.
Havana, Aramis’s latest men’s scent, will launch in October. For women, Bulgari, Trumper and Lancaster’s Casmir by Chopard also will roll out in the fall.
At J.C. Penney Co. Inc., Plano, Tex., men’s fragrance sales are eclipsing last year’s by 10 to 12 percent, said Ann Gravseth, merchandise manager for cosmetics and accessories.
Citing men’s as an underdeveloped business, Gravseth said the category continues to grow faster than women’s, which is expected to move ahead 8 to 9 percent to end the year.
“High-value sets for men are hot,” she said. “For Father’s Day, they flew out. And the 3.4-oz. and larger cologne sprays are very popular.”
Men’s bestsellers at Penney’s are Elizabeth Taylor’s Passion for Men, Baryshnikov, Royal Copenhagen, Halston Z-14, Quorum and Animale for Men.
Women still purchase much of Penney’s men’s fragrances as gifts, Gravseth explained.
“We’re planning a very aggressive fragrance marketing campaign for holiday that will feature women’s and men’s products,” said Gravseth, noting that an insert targeting 35 million customers will go out in Sunday papers shortly after Thanksgiving. It will play up gift- and purchase-with-purchase sets.
Women’s fragrance bestsellers at Penney’s include Elizabeth Taylor’s Passion, Chanel No. 5, White Shoulders, Ciara and L’Air du Temps.
At Stanley Korshak, a women’s and men’s designer store here, men now are purchasing more treatment and bath products when they buy fragrances, according to Barbara Wentworth, cosmetics manager.
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“A few years ago, you’d never see a man buying a shower gel or body lotion,” said Wentworth. “In addition to fragrances, they’re likely to buy a good shave cream or an eye cream.”
Men’s fragrance sales are ahead 8 to 9 percent at Korshak, and women’s sales are up about the same.
Men’s bestsellers include Tino Cosma, Jil Sander’s Feeling Man, Cool Water and Annick Goutal’s Eau d’Hadrien, a unisex item. Korshak will stock Calvin Klein’s Escape for Men starting later this month.
Women’s volume leaders are Giorgio Armani’s Gio, Jil Sander No. 4, Eau d’Hadrien and Cabotine de Grès. Trumper, a fragrance from England, launched at Korshak in August. Casmir, Lancaster’s latest fragrance, will hit Korshak counters in September.
Neiman Marcus, Dallas, has two new launches on tap for fall — Bulgari for women and Havana by Aramis, reported John Stabenau, vice president and divisional merchandise manager.
He said men’s and women’s fragrance businesses are ahead by at least 10 percent, and similar results are expected for the fall and holiday seasons.
Men’s bestsellers at Neiman’s include Boucheron, Escada for Men, Pasha by Cartier, Aramis, Hermès, Annick Goutal and Cartier.
Leading the pack for women are Quelques Fleurs, Annick Goutal, Thierry Mugler’s Angel, L’Eau d’Issey by Issey Miyake, Donna Karan New York, Must de Cartier and Boucheron.
Promotional gift and value sets continue to drive the men’s fragrance business at Specialty Retailers Inc., Houston, a 240-unit chain of department stores.
Men’s fragrances are generating gains from 5 to 9 percent against last year, and the same is projected for the remainder of the year, said Judi Siff, divisional merchandise manager for cosmetics.
Bestsellers at the men’s counter are Drakkar Noir, Lagerfeld and Nautica.
On the women’s scent scene at SRI, business is ahead by at least 10 percent, with bestsellers including Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds, Elizabeth Arden’s Sunflowers and Red Door, Liz Claiborne’s Vivid and Oscar by Oscar de la Renta.
“Most men used to depend on their aftershave for a cologne,” said Wilhelmina Von Heflick, cosmetics manager at the Village Pharmacy here. “Now they purchase fragrances, too, and the business is growing.”
Men’s sales are ahead 12 percent against last year, with bestsellers including 4711, Pancaldi, Baryshnikov, Jacomo, Anthracite, Burberrys, Drakkar Noir, Paco Rabanne, Gianfranco Ferré, Krizia and Yves Saint Laurent’s Kouros.
The Village Pharmacy stocks about 50 men’s fragrances, and Von Heflick said self-purchase by men is on the increase.
“Men are increasingly asking for bath and treatment products, also,” noted Von Heflick. “Men who jog or work out a lot are into Ahava bath salts because they take away soreness. Mud baths and eye creams from Ahava also are popular.”
Women’s fragrances are 15 percent ahead of last year at the Village Pharmacy, a trend Von Heflick attributed to more women discovering the store’s 100-brand lineup.
Women’s bestsellers are Nature’s One Gardenia by Perlier, Elizabeth Arden’s Sunflowers and Red Door, Cabotine, Norell, Piguet’s Fracas, Bill Blass and YSL’s Opium.